Star of the County Down
{loadposition StaroftheCountyDown}
Near Banbridge town, in the County Down
One morning in July
Down a pathway green came a sweet colleen
And she smiled as she passed me by.
Oh she looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut brown hair
Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook myself
To be sure I was really there.
Chorus:
And from Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I’ve seen like the brown colleen
That I met in the County Down.
As she onward sped I shook my head
And I gazed with a feeling rare
And I said, says I, to a passerby ”Who’s the maid with the nut-brown hair?”
He smiled at me, and with pride says he, “She’s the gem of Ireland’s crown.
She’s young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann
She’s the star of the County Down.”
Chorus
I’ve travelled a bit, but never was hit
Since my roving career began.
But fair and square I surrendered there
To the charms of young Rosie McCann.
I’d a heart to let and no tenant yet
Did I meet with in shawl or gown
But in she went, and I asked no rent
From the star of the County Down.
Chorus
At the crossroads fair I’ll be surely there
And I’ll dress in my Sunday clothes
I’ll offer my arm and I will use my charm for the heart of the nut-brown rose.
No pipe I’ll smoke, no horse I’ll yoke
Though with rust my plow turns brown
Till a smiling bride by my own fireside
Sits the star of the County Down.
Chorus
Note: Colleen means young girl, it is Gaeilc or Old Irish, (spelled Cailin in Gaelic) Pathway in the original is the Gaelic word bóithrín, (pronounced boreen), a little road or path. The place names in the chorus mean across the four corners of Ireland, meaning that he did not find a girl as sweet in the whole country.
Star of the County Down: Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_the_County_Down, ref: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzhE24WDjDA